Selecting device for telephone and signal systems



1945- s. D. VIGREN ET AL 2,367,101

I SELECTING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS Filed Sept. 16, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 my. I

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Patented Jan. 9, 1945 SELECTING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS Sten Daniel Vigren,

Wilhelm Broberg Stockholm, and Walter Otto and Oscar Karl Nynashamm, Sweden Johan Olsson,

Application September 16, 1942, Serial No. 458,504 In Sweden September 19, 1940 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to selecting devices for telephone and signal systems in general, and has reference in particular to a selecting device for the selection and operation of a particular set of contact springs from a plurality of such sets preferably located side by side. The invention can be used in combination with stepping relays, selectors, relay selectors and similar switching devices of which numerous constructions are example, the automatic telephone field.

A selecting device according to the invention is primarily characterised by the fact that the desired operation of a particular set of contact springs is obtained in two different steps. In the first step an indicating finger is brought to indicate or select the set of contact springs that should be operated. In the second step the contact springs are operated.

The selecting device according to the present invention comprises the following elements: a plurality of sets of contact springs, each set being provided with an actuating member to engage the contact springs of said set and with an indicating finger which is normally in non-operating position with respect to said actuating member; an electromagnetic relay provided with a single armature; a rotatable shaft provided with preselecting means for each indicating finger, said pre-selecting means being so constructed and disposed that, upon rotation of the shaft, each one of the fingers is successively moved into preoperative position in front of its corresponding actuating member; said rotatable shaft receiving a step-wise motion by means of a step-bystep mechanism operable by said armature, i. e., when same is attracted or released by said relay, said armature being constructed and disposed to successively engage each actuating member and its corresponding contact springs by means of the corresponding indicating finger interposed between the said actuating member and said armature. In an embodiment of the invention the driving mechanism of said shaft is combined with the indicating finger in the following way. The armature of an electromagnetic relay is provided with means to successively rotate the shaft one step for each energising or de-energising operation. The armature is adapted with respect to the stepping of the shaft to operate a set of springs that in the immediately preceding step has been pre-selected.

The energy needed to operate the selecting device according to the invention is very small compared to that of known movable parts is also very small and the wear and tear of the device will be insignificant; and the security of non-interruption of service will therefore be very great.

Fro-m mechanical as well as from circuit diagram view points the selecting device according to the present invention offers a considerable technical improvement over known similar devices.

One form of construction of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The shown embodiment may, of course, be modified in many ways and the inventive principle applied in other constructions and for other purposes than the one here shown.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a bottom view of a selector provided with 10 sets of contact springs and one electromagnet.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same selector.

Fig. 3 illustrates, in simplified manner the operation of the direct drive mechanism of the rotatable shaft of the selector.

Fig. 4 shows an actuating member of a set of contact springs.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the selector shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

devices. The number of steel wire spirals 6,

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the driving mechanism shown in Fig. 3, the said mechanism being in this case indirectly driven.

Fig. 7 shows details of how the indicating fingers for the pre-selection of a set of contact springs are indirectly actuated by indicating elements attached to the rotatable shaft.

With reference to the drawings, it will be noted that the selector according to the invention comprises the frame I, carrying the driving magnet 2 and the cooperating armature 3. On the frame are also mounted ten sets of contact springs, each set comprising 8 contact springs. The selector can thus work as a 10-line. selector, if each outgoing line comprises eight lines or conductors, or, it can also work as a 20-line selector with four conductors in each outgoing line, in which case parallel testing of two lines simultaneously. Frame I further carries shaft 5 mounted in bearings. Shaft 5 is rotatable and carries ten the two ends of each spiral being bent and separated from each other by an angle of, for example, as shown in "Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. On the shaft 5 there is mounted a ratchet wheel 7 provided with teeth and actuated by a ratchet 8 which is attached by means of a spring to the armature 3 of the driving electrois conducted v vents backward motiton of ratchet wheel 1. Spring 9 is arranged in known way so that the shaft is turned of a complete turn each time the armature is de-energized.

For each one of the said 10 sets of contact springs 4 there is provided an actuating member l0, see Fig. 4, which when the armature 3 is operated brings the movable contact springs in contact with the stationary contact bars ll, common to the ten sets of movable contact springs. The lower end of the actuating member 10 is provided with a cutout 20 into which a secondary indicating or lpre-selecting finger in the form of a steel wire l2 can be moved by means of a protruding end of the wire spiral 5 attached to the shaft 5. The secondary proselecting finger I2 is provided with a hump or protuberance M which is adapted to cooperate with either of the protruding ends of the wire spiral 6 so that said end (B) in a certain position pushes the pre-selecting finger 12 from its normal or non-operative position shown to the right in Fig, '7 to its pre-operative position (I212) shown to the left in the same figure. In the last mentioned osition the pre-selecting finger has been moved in front of the cutout of the actuating member l and over a hole 11 in the armature 3 during the previous de-energising movement of the armature.

When the armature is now energised, the corresponding set of movable contact springs are lifted.

Apart from the ten sets of contact springs there can be provided an eleventh set of contact springs actuated in similar way for the operation of controlling circuits.

The described selector is shown as directly driven So that the set of contact springs that has been pro-selected on the previous de-energisation of the armature is operated when the armature next time is energised.

If a driving mechanism is used as shown in Fig. 5, an indirectly driven selector is obtained, that is, the shaft is stepped forward one step when the armature is energised, whereby preselection takes place, and the thus pre-selected set of contact springs is actuated on the next following de-energising movement of the armature. As both ends of the wire spiral 5 are located diametrically opposite each other, each set of springs will be actuated twice during one turn of the shaft 5. The return of the armature 3 can take place in any known way, for example, by means of a spiral spring l5, Fig. 6. The selector is finally provided with a selfinterrupting contact It for the selecting movement.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. In a selecting device, a plurality of sets of contact springs, each set provided with an actua being disposed to magnet 2. A pawl at the end of spring 9 pre-.

ating member to engage the contact springs of said set, each set being also provided with an indicating finger said finger being normally in non-operating position with respect to said actuating member, an electromagnetic relay provided with a single armature, a rotatable shaft provided with pro-selecting means for each indicating finger, said pre-selecting means being constructed and disposed to successively move, upon rotation of the shaft, each one of the fingers into pre-operating position in front of its corresponding actuating member, said rotatable shaft being turnable one step by means of a step-by-step mechanism operable by said armature, when attracted or released by said relay, whereby said armature successively engages each actuating member and its corresponding indicating finger interposed between the actuating member and said armature.

2. The selecting device claimed in claim 1, in which the said preselecting means consists of pins attached to and distributed on the circumference of said shaft so as to successively move said fingers into pre-operating position.

3. The selecting device claimed in claim 1, in which contact bars common to a plurality of sets of contact springs are provided, the said contact springs being adapted, upon actuation, to make contact with the said contact bars.

4. The selecting device claimed in claim 1, in which said armature is provided with a hole in front of each actuating member, said holes being disposed normally not to disturb said actuating members upon operation of said armature, the corresponding member, however, being operable to engage the said set of contact springs aiter lpre-selection and indication of the corresponding set of contact springs by its indicating finger having been interposed, over the corresponding hole, between the actuating member and the armature.

5. The selecting device as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said indicating fingers consists of an elastic wire, one end of which is fixed and its other free end being constructed and disposed to be moved by the corresponding preselecting means to its pre-operating position with respect to the corresponding actuating member and set of contact springs.

6. The selecting device as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said indicating fingers consists of an elastic wire, of which one end is fixed and of which the free part is provided with a hump, the corresponding pie-selecting means slide along the said elastic wire in its longitudinal direction and upon passing the said bump to cause the end of said elastic wire to move to its pro-operating position with respect to the corresponding actuating member and the corresponding set of contact springs.

STEN DANIEL VIGREN. 

